Apparatus for the storage and burning of a fluid under pressure



May 4, 1965 R. v. PHELPS APPARATUS FOR THE STORAGE AND BURNING OF A FLUID UNDER PRESSURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 7, 1963 mvsmon REX V. PHELAS ORA/EV.

May 4, 1965 R. v. PHELPS APPARATUS FOR THE STORAGE AND BURNING OF A FLUID UNDER PRESSURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 7, 1965 INVENTOR. REX 1 FHA-L P5 Fig. 10

3,181,589 E AND BURNING RESSURE R. V. PHELPS APPARATUS FOR THE STORAG OF A FLUID UNDER P 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 u. M F

INVENTOR I REA 1/. PHELRS ATTORNEK May 4, 1965 Filed March '7, 1963 May 4, 1965 R. v. PHELPS APPARATUS FOR THE STORAGE AND BURNING OF A FLUID UNDER PRESSURE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 7, 1963 INVENTOR QEX V. PHELPS ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 3,181,589 APPARATUS FOR THE STORAGE AND BURNING OF A FLUID UNDER PRESSURE Rex V. Phelps, Tulsa, Okla assignor to Warren Petroleum Corporation, Tulsa, Okla, a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 7, 1963, Ser. No. 263,639 8 Claims. (Cl. 158-62) This invention relates to vessels for the storage of a fluid under pressure and particularly to vessels for the storage of liquefied petroleum gases.

Vessels employed to store fluids under pressure are often heavy, since the walls thereof must be sufficiently thick to resist the internal pressures exerted by said fluids and to withstand impact from external forces without rupturing. Such vessels are often of irregular shapes and are therefore difficult to handle, transport or use. The arrangement or combination described and claimed herein is substantially free of such d-iificulties and is compact, light in weight and easy to handle, transport and use. The arrangement of this invention in its preferred embodiment when employed as a container for liquefied petroleum gases can easily be adapted to receive a burning unit such as a stove.

Briefly, the present arrangement comprises, in its preferred embodiment, a vessel adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and provided with valve means for communicating between the interior of said vessel and the exterior thereof and with pressure relieving means and a substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially surrounding said vessel and forming a polyhedron therewith, said rigid, absorbent material provided with an opening for said valve means.

The invention can better be understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which are hereby incorporated and made part of the present disclosure.

FIGURE 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the valve means of FIGURE 1, FIGURE 3 is a cross-section taken along line 33 of FIGURE 2. FIGURE 4 is a crosssection taken along line 44 of FIGURE 3, While FIG- URE 5 is a cross-section .taken along the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3. FIGURES 6 and 7 are vertical sections of valve means provided With pressure relieving means. FIGURES 8 and 9 illustrate additional means suitable for use in mounting the valve means, with or without the pressure relieving means incorporated therein, on the pressure vessel. FIGURE 10 illustrates means that can be employed in combination with the pressure vessel for actuating the valve means either for filling the vessel or for removing fluid therefrom. FIGURE 11 is a perspective elevational view illustrating a modification of a rigid, absorbent material that can be employed in combination with the pressure vessel. FIGURE 12 is a perspective elevational view of means suitable for carrying the pressure vessel of this invention. FIGURE 13 is a perspective elevational view, with a portion thereof broken away, of the assembly of this invention, adapted for use as a container for liquefied petroleum gases in combination with a stove provided with burners therefor.

Patented May 4, 1965 Referring to the preferred embodiment of FIGURE 1, reference numeral 2 defines a spherical container or vessel made of steel, for example, which can be formed of two seamless hemispherical heads 4 and 6 of driving fit telescoped one within the other and held together, for example, by a continuous circumferential brazed seam 3. This brazing can be obtained by employing a soft copper Wire, SAE 83, or equal, using no flux, and with the metal in place between the overlapping ends of said hemispherical heads heating the unit at elevated temperatures in a reducing atmosphere consisting of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen and nitrogen. Vessel 2 is provided in the wall thereof with valve means It? and pressure relieving means 12.

A suitable valve means for use in combination with the pressure vessel, for example, is illustrated in FIG- URES 2, 3, 4 and 5. Valve means 10 comprises a body 14- provided on its exterior and adjacent the bottom portion thereof with threads. Slidably disposed Within body 14 is a poppet 16 which is normally maintained in sealing relationship with a yieldable material 18, such as synthetic rubber, by spring 20 held in place by a spring holder 22. The upper portion of the poppet 16 is provided with a channel 24. The yieldable material 18 is held in place by a threaded disc retainer 26 which can he provided with recessed portions 28 adapted to receive a spanner wrench. Circumferentially disposed about body portion 14 adjacent the top thereof is a groove 30.

Referring to FIGURE 1, pressure relieving means 12 can take the form of a fuse plug comprising a body portion 32 in which there is threadingly or otherwise securely mounted a soft metal, or mixture of metals 34 or other material having a yield point within a range of about F. to about 212 F. which will rupture or be removed therefrom when the pressure within the vessel rises beyond a predetermined limit. A suitable mixture for the fuse plug is one containing, in percent by weight, 38.4 bismuth, 30.8 lead, 15.4 tin and 15.4 cadmium. p

In the embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 1 vessel 2 is provided in the wall thereof with fittings 36 and 38 preferably attached thereto by brazing in the same manner hemispherical heads 4 and 6 were attached to each other. Fittings 36 and 38 are internally threaded to receive valve means It) and pressure relieving means 12, respectively.

Although in the preferred embodiment of the invention the valve means and the pressure relieving means are separately mounted in the wall of the vessel, it is within the scope of this invention to combine the two into a unitary member as illustrated, for example, in FIGURES 6 and 7. In FIGURE 6 a pressure relieving means similar in design to that illustrated in FIGURE 1 is employed. In this modification a body portion 40 carrying a soft metal or equivalent 42 is threaded into an opening in body portion 14 of valve means 10 which communicates with the interior thereof. Alternatively the pressure relieving means can take the form illustrated in FIGURE 7 wherein there is mounted a valve stem 44 provided with a valve seal disc composed of a yieldable material 46 made of synthetic rubber or equivalent, a spring 48 and a threaded spring retaining disc 50. When the pressure within the vessel exceeds a predetermined limit the valve stem is pushed outwardly;

unseating disc 46 and permitting the escape of fluid therein. If desired the pressure relieving means of FIGURE 1 can be designed to take theform of the pressure relieving means illustrated in FIGURE 7.

The valve means illustrated in FIGURE 1, and in fact even the pressure relieving means illustrated therein, need not be attached to vessel 2 as illustrated but can be attached thereto in the manner illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9. Thus, as illustrated in FIGURE 8 a fitting .52 can be attached to vessel 2 in a manner similar to the method employed in attaching fittings 36 and 38 thereto. An adaptor 54, provided with threads at the interior thereof, can be forcibly mounted in place as indicated and valve means can then be threaded thereto. If desired an adaptor 56 provided' with a circumferentially disposed recessed portion 48 can securedly be attached directly to vessel 2 as illustrated in FIGURE 9. In this case valve means 10 is provided at its lower end with a circumferentially disposed abutment 60 which will be received within recessed portion 58 to hold the valve means in place.

The vessel described herein can suitably be carried in any convenient manner. One embodiment is illustrated in FIGURE 12 wherein a curved spring steel handle 62 is securedly attached by welding or any other suitable means to flat bits64 and 66 which are adapted to be received within groove 30 of valve means 10. The handle can easily be removed from valve means 10 merely by pressing inwardly at the upper end thereof.

The valve means 10 can be actuated for introducing fluid into the vessel or to remove the same therefrom by means such as that illustrated in FIGURE 10. Device 68 which can be held in fixed relationship with valve means by a latch 70 fitting within groove 30, pushes downwardly on poppet 16 againstthe action of spring 20, unseating poppet 16, thereby providing free communication from the interior of the vessel to the exterior thereof for either introducing fluid therein or removing the same therefrom.

In order to protect vessel 2 from external injury and thereby permit the use of a vessel having thinner walls, and particularly in the preferred embodiment when said vessel is a sphere in order to facilitate the handling, trans portation and use of the same, the vessel is substantially surrounded, as illustrated in FIGURE 1, with a substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material 72 provided with an opening adjacent the top thereof for the valve means. While the rigid, shock-absorbent material is desirably composed ofa foamed resin such as polyurethane foam or expanded polystyrene, it can be composed of mineral wool or glass wool impregnated with a resin, cork, cellulosic fibers, etc. Although the rigid absorbent mate'- rial can be mounted onto vessel 2 in any suitable manner, preferably it'is preformed into two sections 74'and 76 as illustrated in FIGURE 1 and held in place by the of a suitable adhesive which can be. a rubber cement such as neoprene or an epoxy resin, or the two sections can be attached to each other with polyvinyl or polyethylene tapes. The rigid, absorbent material need not be in direct contact with vessel 2 over its entire surface but can be internally ribbed, as illustrated in FIGURE 11. In all cases the rigid, absorbent material forms with the pressure vessel described herein a polyhedron, preferably one having but six sides. Notonly can the vessel when so mounted be easily handled but a number of such units can be easily palletized for shipment in large quantities.

In its preferred embodimentzwhen the vessel contains liquefied petroleum gases, the same can easily be adapted for use with a burning unit as illustrated in FIGURE 13. For example container 2 encased in rigid, absorbent material 72 can be positioned on a base The upper portion 74 of the rigid, absorbent material 72 is provided with a ledge 80 upon which is mounted a burning unit 82. The entire assembly is held together by straps 84 and drawbolts 86. When burning unit 82 is mounted in silicon.

place poppet 16 is depressed in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 10 and communication between the interior of vessel 2 and burning unit 82 is established. When valve wheels 88 and 90 are properly turned gases within vessel 2 are released therefrom and combine with air entering ports 92 and 94. The gas and air mixture then flows to burner assemblies 96 and 98 for burning. It is apparent that the assembly of this invention could be employed without a base 78, since the assembly is in the form of a polyhedron and provides its own base. In addition the burning unit need comprise but one burner assembly if desired. 7

Although thepressure vessel illustrated and described herein can be employed or adapted to contain any fluid under pressure, in its preferred embodiment it is particularly adapted to contain liquefied petroleum gases. By liquefied petroleum ;gases 1' mean, for example, mixtures containing, in percent by volume, 250 ethane, 96.00 propane and 1.50 isobutane; 0.75 ethane, 28.80 propane, 21.45 isobutane and 49.00 normal butane; and 20.00 propane and 80.00 butane. The vapor pressures for the three mixtures defined above at F. are 120, 54 and 38 pounds per square inch gauge, respectively.

The vessel employed herein can be made of any general design, provided it can withstand pressure exerted by the fluid contained therein; Thus, except forthe fittings defined hereinabove, the vessel can be designed to have a continuously smooth'surface and take the form, for example, of a sphere, 'an ellipsoid or a spheroid. If desired the vessel can be designed for only a portion thereof to have a continuously smooth surface, for example, a cylinder. The end portions of such cylinder can be rounded or provided with plane surfaces. In addition the vessel can take the form of a polyhedron, preferably one having six plane surfaces. However, because a spherical container generally can be made with thinner walls for a defined pressure limitation and will hold a maximum amount of fluid therein for a defined vessel surface, I prefer to' employ a spherical container.

The container can be made of any material that possesses the desired structural strength and degree of resilience suflicient to withstand pressures exerted by the contents thereof and will not adversely be affected by said contents nor will itself adversely affect said contents. Thus, the walls of the vessel can be made of metals such as steel or aluminum, resins, such as epoxy resins or polyvinyl chlorides' reinforced with glass fibers, etc. The thickness of said walls can vary widely and will depend in part upon the contents of the vessel and the material employed in the fabrication of said walls. I have found that for a spherical vessel suitable for containing liquefied petroleum gases and a service pressure of .100 pounds per square inch gauge the walls thereof can be about 0.027 inch thick if made of a steel containing the following, in percent by weight: 0.18 carbon, 0.86 manganese, 0.02 columbium, 0.010 phosporous, 0.019 sulfur and 0.036

Because the wall thickness of vessel 2 is small and because the rigid, shock-absorbent material employed does not cover the. entire surface of the vessel nor serves as an insulating medium, heat transfer through the walls thereof is easily maintained sufiicient to permit vaporization of the contents thereof when (this is desirable.

While specific valve meanshave been illustrated and defined which will permit introduction or removal of fluid Ito and from the interior of the vessel, valve means within the scope of this invention can be defined as including any suitable means which will provide communication between the interior and the exterior of said vessel for introduction of fluid thereto and/ or removal of fluid therefrom. In fact the valve means, in some cases, need not be integral with said vessel but can be properly positioned in relation not be fixed in relation to the location of the valve means, but can be positioned variously in the wall of the vessel.

While I have defined the rigid, shock-absorbent material as forming a polyhedron with the vessel, polyhedron within the scope of this invention can be defined to include a shape containing curved surfaces.

Obviously, many modifications and variations of the invention, as hereinabove set forth, can be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination a thin-walled vessel formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof and substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thinwalled vessel and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contuor of the outer surface of said thinwalled vessel, said rigid, shock-absorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled vessel, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-Walled vessel is permitted.

2. In combination a thin-walled spherical container formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer in-to the interior thereof and substantially rigid, shockabsorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thin-walled spherical container and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, said rigid, shock-absorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled spherical container is permitted.

3. In combination a thin-walled vessel formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof provided with valve means for communicating between the interior of said thin-walled vessel and the exterior thereof and pressure relieving means, and substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thin-walled vessel and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thin-walled vessel, said rigid, shockabsorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled vessel, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled vessel is permitted.

4. In combination a thin-walled spherical container formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof provided with valve means for communicating between the interior of said thin-walled spherical container and the exterior thereof and pressure relieving means, and substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thinwalled spherical container and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, said rigid, shockabsorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled spherical container is permitted.

5. In combination a thin-walled vessel formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof, substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thinwalled vessel and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thinwalled vessel, said rigid, shock-absorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled vessel, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled vessel is permitted, and means attached to said thin-walled vessel adapted for carrying the defined assembly.

6. In combination a thin-walled spherical container formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof, substantially rigid, shockabsorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thin-walled spherical container and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, said rigid, shock-absorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct com-munication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled spherical container is permitted, and means attached to said thinwalled spherical container adapted for carrying the defined assembly.

7. In combination a thin-walled vessel formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pres sure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof, substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thinwalled vessel and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane surface forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thinwalled vessel, said rigid, shock-absorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmos phere to the outer surface of said thin-walled vessel, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled vessel is permitted, and a burner means attached to said thin-walled vessel adapted to communicate with the interior of said thin-walled vessel.

8. In combination a thin-walled spherical container formed of a material adapted to maintain a fluid therein under pressure and capable of freely permitting heat transfer into the interior thereof, substantially rigid, shock-absorbent material substantially permanently attached to said thin-walled spherical container and forming a polyhedron therewith having at least one outer plane forming a support, substantially the entire inner surface thereof following substantially the contour of the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, said rigid, shock-absorbent material being provided with at least one substantial opening therein permitting free and direct communication from the atmosphere to the outer surface of said thin-walled spherical container, whereby heat transfer between the atmosphere and the outer wall of said thin-walled spherical container is permitted, and a burner means attached to said thin-walled spherical '7 8 container adapted to communicate with the interio; of 2,825,325 3/58 Ross 158-32 said thin-walled spherical container. 7 2,963,873 12/60 Stowers 62-45 V v 3,059,672 10/62 Verdier-Du'four et a1. 562-45 7 References Cited by the Examiner V I 3,107,498 r 10/ 63 'Messer 220-15 X V UNIT D STATES PATENTS r 5 3,126,000 3/64 iy 15832 1,355,413 10/20 Muddiman 220-15 I N TENT 1,391,549 9/21 Larsen 220-15 910 737 4 France 1,948,477 2/34 Zenner 220-15 2,309,813 2/43 Whiting 62-54 X JAMES W. WESTHAVER, Primary Examiner. 2,344,765 *3/44 Dana et a1. 62-54 X 10 JOHN J. CAMBY, Examiner.

2,553,486 5/51 Thom-a3 62-50 X 

7. IN COMBINATION A THIN-WALLED VESSEL FORMED OF A MATERIAL ADAPTED TO MAINTAIN A FLUID THEREIN UNDER PRESSURE AND CAPABLE OF FREELY PERMITTING HEAT TRANSFER INTO THE INTERIOR THEREOF, SUBSTANTIALLY RIGID, SHOCK-ADSORBENT MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLY PERMANENTLY ATTACHED TO SAID THINWALLED VESSEL AND FORMING A POLYHEDRON THEREWITH HAVING AT LEAST ONE OUTER PLANE SURFACE FORMING A SUPPORT, SUBSTANTIALLY THE ENTIRE INNER SURFACE THEREOF FOLLOWING SUBSTANTIALLY THE CONTOUR OF THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID THINWALLED VESSEL, SAID RIGID, SHOCK-ADSORBENT MATERIAL BEING PROVIDED WITH AT LEAST ONE SUBSTANTIAL OPENING THEREIN PERMITTING FREE AND DIRECT COMMUNICATION FROM THE ATMOSPHERE TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID THIN-WALLED VESSEL, WHEREBY HEAT TRANSFER BETWEEN THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE OUTER WALL OF SAID THIN-WALLED VESSEL IS PERMITTED, AND A BURNER MEANS ATTACHED TO SAID THIN-WALLED VESSEL ADAPTED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE INTERIOR OF SAID THIN-WALLED VESSEL. 